In the last 12 months, the 23-year-old artist has risen to the attention of critics and music fans thanks to his impressionist reimaginings of neo-soul, jazz and pop. He’s played Glastonbury, sold out a headline London show, and been compared with everyone from D’Angelo to Anderson Paak. Now, he’s on the cusp of releasing an inventive concept EP, with the promise of a debut album to follow quickly after.

In 2016, he released his ‘Chirality’ EP, a collection of heartfelt songs that resonated immediately, all written and produced by XamVolo himself. Breakthrough hit, “Down”, quickly surpassed half a million plays on Spotify, with radio love from Annie Mac, Huw Stephens, Gilles Peterson and more. Following that came the single, “Old Soul”. Written with Bruno Major, it opens with a teasing slice of Spanish guitar, then transforms into a cosmic and transcendent pop song. It was followed last October by “Feels Good”, an emphatic jam with a timeless sample of Thelonious Monk.

XamVolo is a creative genius, whose talents go far beyond songwriting. He produces his music, designs his artwork, directs his own videos, and carefully crafts his live shows. “I’m a strong believer in cohesion throughout a project across media,” says XamVolo. “The live show is very different to the recorded music – it’s more about connecting with the people in attendance.”